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Last weekend, mum and I decided to both go to Sydney-me from Canberra and she from Brisbane, to celebrate our combined 26th and 50th birthdays and watch Sydney’s famous Vivid show. Mum flew down and I caught the bus up. She checked into the accommodation at the Rocks (beautiful area but rather a lot of stairs and cobble stones) before me and I met her there. I can tell you it was quite an effort lugging my 20 or so kg suitcase up many flights of stairs, but when I got to the rooftop terrace I saw the most wonderful view over Sydney Harbour which stretched out to Manly and encompassed the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

We went out to a lovely restaurant called the Argyle where we had some glasses of white wine and I had a Tigerlily cocktail. We also shared a pizza and caught up on the past two months (since I’d last been up at the Goldy for a high school friend’s wedding.) Then we ventured down to Sydney Harbour and watched Vivid light up the Opera House and surrounding buildings with a theme I could hazard a guess as being the Great Barrier Reef as it included coral spawning. The atmosphere was electric and the crowds were heaving. Then we went back to our accommodation.

The next day mum asked what I would really like to do in Sydney and I said to visit Bondi Beach of course! I told her I was a big fan of the TV show Bondi Rescue which had even got fans in the UK (which I found out when I lived there for a year.) We found out that Sundays have a $2.50 maximum spend on public transport which includes ferries so it was a perfect day to make the trek to Bondi! We scanned our Opal cards (purchasable from many shops and the train station) and hopped on a bus from Alfred Street headed for Bondi Beach. It was quite a busy bus but after all, it was a cheap day for public transport.

Within about half an hour we had arrived at our destination. Bondi Beach stretched out before us in all its aquamarine glory. It had the famous lifeguard tower at one end and a promenade dotted with little cafe’s along the way to the other end. Mum and I walked along the prom to the other end of the beach and had breakfast and coffee at a cafe’ called Speedo’s. I was excited to spot one of the famous Bondi lifeguards on his phone at a lookout outside and even more excited when he came into the cafe’ we were in to grab a coffee. Then mum and I headed back along the beach. We spotted another Bondi lifeguard and this time asked to have a photo. He immediately posed for one-what a nice guy! Then we finished our walk along the beach and started the Bondi to Coogee walk which a friend who used to live in Sydney had highly recommended to me.

Mum and I had worn enclosed shoes and walked past the famous Icebergs Pool and along the clifftop walk. It was beautiful from every angle and we took a fair few photos. It was nice to watch the surfers catching the waves in. We even walked up Bronte’ hill which was a very steep incline but afforded a marvelous view of our surrounds. Then we decided to catch the bus back to Bondi, however it just went to Bondi Junction so we had to change buses there and catch a different one back to Circular Quay. Then we went out again for dinner and drinks, this time the ferry by night to Manly which is about 30 minutes away. It was marvelous to pass the buildings, opera house and bridge all lit up with Vivid. I felt like Rose from Titanic, standing at the front of the large ferry as it glided smoothly across the harbour to Manly’s distant shores. We noticed seagulls gliding on the wind the ferry generated as they accompanied us to the other end of the harbour.

Once we reached Manly, we disembarked the ferry and headed along the promenade to a restaurant mum wanted to take me to: Manly Wine. We were seated at a little table near the windows where we could look out onto the dark ocean and surrounding lights. We ordered our meals and shared a bottle of a delicious Pinot Grigio from Victoria called White Stripes. Then we caught the ferry back to Circular Quay and went back to our accommodation.

On Monday (my 26th birthday) we had a little bit of a sleep in and then headed to Darling Harbour for breakfast which was walking distance away. It was a pretty little harbour and had shops dotted around it and boats floating around it. We spotted a Navy ship which was part of the Australian National Maritime Museum. We visited a shopping centre and had a look at the shops. Then we returned to Circular Quay and explored the Royal Botanical Gardens which were also walking distance away. We sat on the sunny green lawn past the black gates with crowns on them for Government House and watched the boats go by. Then we walked up the stairs of the Sydney Opera House (which is pretty high up by the way.)

We looked at beautiful views around Sydney and took photos. Then we decided to visit Manly in the day time (the last time before last night that I had been there was when I was 18 which was almost a whole ten years ago!) We caught the ferry there and walked along the esplanade for the length of the beach. Then we rounded some corners, passed a “mermaid pool” which was like an infinity pool before the ocean, walked up and around a steep little headland and through leaf tunnels along a winding pathway, before looking inside a quaint little shop selling sea shells and other gifts.

Then I waded in the “mermaid pool” and mum took some photos, including of figures in the stones on the side of the path, like weedy seahorses. Then I waded in Shelly Beach, which is around the corner from Manly Beach before wading in Manly Beach. Then, as the sun went down we headed to a German restaurant called The Bavarian Manly Wharf. This was my birthday dinner! We sat at a comfortable table by a gas fire place as the sun set over the ocean through the windows beyond. Mum ordered a kransky sausage with cheese and I ordered a jaegerschnitzel which was a delicious chicken schnitzel with a delicious mushroom sauce on top. Both dishes were divine. Mum had a rice beer and I had a mango beer which a friend had recommended to me. We said cheers and clinked our glasses as the fire warmed us and the ocean roared in the background. What a fabulous birthday weekend in Sydney! Then we caught the ferry back past the bright lights of Sydney Harbour and past the glowing Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge-what an adventure!

Today I drove past the south side of Canberra and to Namadji National Park. The visitor centre was easy enough to find, was clearly signposted and had plenty of parking.

The lady there was very friendly and knowledgeable as she told us all about the park and its various walks. I left the visitor centre, map in hand and set off around the woodland walk which was immediately outside the visitor centre. It had lots of useful information and a shelter with window panes built like an old style homestead. Apparently there were a few homesteads around which were built by Europeans; some were intact and others in ruins. I also read about different tyes of wildflowers and gumtrees including snow gums which grow higher up and mountain ash which grow lower down.

I wandered off this track and did the Cypress Pine Lookout walk. It was quite steep but very pretty, especially once you got to the lookout at the top! After that I finished the woodland walk and drove to the Aboriginal rock art walk which was a 40 minute drive away. This walk was open and grassy with markers and a number of curious kangaroos. It was also only reachable by dirt road but it was a fine journey in a two wheel drive-even through little pools of water! The rock art and views of surrounding mountains were magic!